Transportation options promoted on the Cape

BARNSTABLE — Forget planes, trains and automobiles. Local transportation leaders want to make Cape Cod a land of bikes, buses and ferries.

By JAKE BERRY

capecodtimes.com

By JAKE BERRY

Posted Jul. 1, 2010 at 2:00 AM

By JAKE BERRY

Posted Jul. 1, 2010 at 2:00 AM

FROM HERE TO THERE

The Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority has recently signed on to a new Google trip planner program, which allows users to view public transportation options along with maps and directions on the p...

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FROM HERE TO THERE

The Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority has recently signed on to a new Google trip planner program, which allows users to view public transportation options along with maps and directions on the popular Internet search site. Here's the public transportation route TripAdvisor suggests for getting from the Steamship Authority ferry terminal in Woods Hole to the Salt Pond Visitors Center in the Cape Cod National Seashore in Eastham:

Walk from the ferry terminal to the Steamship Authority office - about 5 minutes.

Take the Hyannis to Provincetown bus to Eastham Town Hall - about 35 minutes.

Walk to the Salt Pond Visitors Center on Route 6 - about 12 minutes.

Source: Google TripAdvisor

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BARNSTABLE — Forget planes, trains and automobiles. Local transportation leaders want to make Cape Cod a land of bikes, buses and ferries.

While cars line up in traffic this week along Cape roads, transportation officials are looking to get drivers out of their vehicles, promoting public and alternative forms of transit as part of "Smart Transportation Week."

Although there are several promotions, the common goal this week is to promote awareness of the Cape's transportation options, officials said.

"We're trying to let everyone know of all the (forms of transportation) available here," said Tom Cahir, administrator of the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, who gathered yesterday with transportation leaders from across the Cape at the Barnstable County Complex.

"People tend to think it's not always easy to get around Cape Cod. But we're trying a lot of different things," Cahir said. "There's a lot of collaboration going on."

Over the past year, the number of rides on the transit authority's fixed-route buses has increased by nearly 30 percent, according to agency figures, as administrators have implemented measures to improve efficiency and access. This fiscal year, which ended yesterday, CCRTA buses provided about 544,000 rides, up from just more than 420,000 rides the previous fiscal year.

Agency officials have increased the frequency of the fixed-route buses, running them hourly from Hyannis to Orleans and Falmouth, among other locations. And they have re-structured the fees for B-bus service, which provides door-to-door transportation in each of the Cape's 15 towns, Cahir said.

But it's likely that technological advancements will provide the biggest benefits for riders in the years to come, Cahir said.

Administrators have recently signed on to a new Google trip planner program, which allows users to view public transportation options along with maps and directions on the popular Internet search site.

And workers have recently installed GPS tracking devices on each of the Transit Authority's 85 buses, so users can monitor their location over the Internet and at 10 public viewing stations that will be set up across the Cape. The devices have also been installed on Plymouth and Brockton buses.

Transportation officials also plan to install the GPS devices on Cape Air planes and Steamship and Hy-line ferries.

"It only makes sense from a green point of view," said David Scudder, vice president of Hy-Line Cruises. "But it also makes sense from a marketing point of view. ... It's a worthy effort."

Plans to bring passenger train service to Cape Cod have largely stalled due to a lack of federal and state funding, said John Kennedy, president of Cape Cod Central Railroad, who has petitioned state officials to expand passenger train service. "I've never seen more support for (a Cape passenger line) ... but we may have to wait another year or two to get back on line," Kennedy said.

The 28-mile bike path runs from Wellfleet to Dennis. But Yarmouth officials plan to start work on a local extension next year, and planners in Barnstable and Sandwich have considered expanding the bike path as well.

"Over the last 20 or 30 years, we've seen something of a transformation on American roads," said Edward Gross, chairman of the Falmouth Bikeway Committee and a representative of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition. "I'm proud to see these changes come to the Cape. ... We all benefit from efforts like this."